Skates having resilient runner



Nov. 23, 1965 J. A. HAGNER SKATES HAVING RESILIENT RUNNER Filed July 29, 1965 FIG.5.

INVENTOR. JOSEPH A. HAGNER United States Patent 3,219,353 SKATES HAVING RESILIENT RUNNER Joseph A. Hagner, 8717 Crocus, St. Johns Village, M0. Filed July 29, 1963, Ser. No. 298,135 11 Claims. (Cl. 280-11.14)

This invention relates to improvements in skates. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in skates which can be used ofl ice as well as on ice.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide skates which can be used ofl ice as well as on ice.

Skates which can be used on ice have been known and used for many years; and such skates have provided many persons wtih healthful and enjoyable entertainment. However, those skates have little or no utility off ice. It would be desirable to provide skates which could be used on ice but which could also be used oif ice; because such skates would have more utility and value than would ordinary skates. The present invention provides such skates; and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide skates which can be used on ice and which can also be used off ice.

The skates provided by the present invention have runners which enable the user of these skates to skate on ice. These runners are wide; and hence the user of these skates can skate on crusted snow as well as on ice. In addition, these runners are flexible and resilient; and consequently the user of these skates can experience a bounding and rocking sensation when using these skates off ice. As a result, the skates provided by the present invention are useful ofl ice as well as on ice. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide skates which have runners that can be used on ice but which are wide so the skates can be used on crusted snow and which are flexible and resilient to enable the user to bound and rock when using these skates off ice.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description two preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of skate that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the skate of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the skate of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the broken line 33 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is another sectional view through the skate of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 44 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is still another sectional view through the skate of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the broken line 5-5 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of another form of skate that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5 in detail, the numeral 10 generally denotes one form of skate that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention. That skate includes a flanged channel 12 which has a short, longitudinally-extending slot 11 therein and which has openings 13 and 15 therein. The opening 13 is adjacent the center of that channel; and the slot 11 is disposed intermediate the opening 13 and the front of that channel. The opening 15 is adjacent the rear of that channel.

A heel-confining socket 14 is mounted atop the rear portion of the flanged channel 12, and that socket has an ankle strap 16 secured to it. A rivet or a nut and bolt combination 18 cooperates with the opening 15 in the flanged channel 12 to secure the socket 14 to that channel. A shoe-engaging portion 19, which has a downwardly extending flange thereon, is disposed atop the flanged channel 12. A nut and bolt combination 21 cooperates with the slot 11 in that channel to releasably secure the shoeengaging portion 19 at different points along the length of that channel. A shoe-engaging clamp 20 and a shoeengaging clamp 22 are secured to the underface of the shoe-engaging portion 19; and an adjusting screw 24 engages those clamps and can be rotated to cause those clamps to move toward or move away from the edges of the sole of a shoe.

The channel 12, the socket 14, the shoe-engaging portion 19, and the components associated with that channel, that socket, and that shoe-engaging portion are similar to the corresponding components of ice skates of standard and usual design, but they are made sturdy. When so made, that channel, socket, shoe-engaging portion and associated components will be able to withstand the dynamic stresses to which the skate 10 will be exposed when it is used for bounding and rocking purposes.

A generally U-shaped bracket 26 extends downwardly from the lower face of the shoe-engaging portion 19 of the skate 10. A generally U-shaped bracket 28 extends downwardly from the lower surface of the heel-receiving socket 14. Also, a U-shaped bracket 30 extends downwardly from the lower face of that socket. The closed end of the bracket 28 is spaced a short distance above the closed end of the bracket 30 to define a generally horizontally-directed slot.

A flexible and resilient runner 32 has a reentrant leading end 34; and an opening 36 is provided in the upper portion of that leading end. A fastener 38, such as a rivet or a nut and bolt combination, extends through the opening 36 and through an opening in the closed end of the bracket 26 to fixedly secure the front end of the runner 32 to the skate 10. The runner 32 is wide; and it is rectangular in cross section, as shown particularly by FIGS. 3-5. The runner 32 is arcuate in elevation, and it will preferably constitute part of the arc of a circle.

Alined and spaced openings 40, 42 and 44 are provided in the runner 32, and those openings are shown in FIG. 2. A compression spring 46 has the lower end thereof extending into the opening 44 and has the upper end thereof abutting the under face of the flanged channel 12. A nut and bolt combination 48 secures that upper end of that spring to that chnanel. That spring will be in a compressed condition whenever it is interposed between the flanged channel 12 and the runner 32.

The rear end of the runner 32 extends into the generally horizontally-directed slot defined by the closed ends of the brackets 28 and 30. That slot is large enough to permit the rear portion of the runner 32 to move freely therein; and hence the central portion of the runner 32 can flex and bend readily Without binding.

While the runner 32 is flexible and resilient, it is stiff enough to yield only imperceptibly under the static load constituted by a users weight. Consequently, whenever the user is skating on ice, the runners 32 of his skates will provide full and adequate support for him; and any bending or flexing of the runners 32 will be almost imperceptible. The wide bottom surfaces of the runners 32 will enable the users of the skates 10 to skate with minimal stresses and strains on their ankles. Consequently, many persons who find it diflicult to skate with ordinary ice skates will find it very easy to skate with the skates of the present invention. Moreover, the wide bottom surfaces of the runners 32 make it possible for the user of the skates to skate on crusted snow.

Whenever the skates 10 are used for bounding and rocking purposes, the runners 32 will yield and bend in response to the dynamic load constituted by the weight of the user as the user bounds and rocks. The front ends of the runners 32 will be fixedly secured to the skates, but the rear portions of those runners will be able to move back and forth in the slots defined by the closed ends of the brackets 28 and 30. The springs 46 of the skates 10 will help return the runners 32 to the configuration shown in FIG. 1; and will also help the users to bound and rock quite vigorously. Persons using the skates 10 have been able to bound a few feet into the air.

The shoeengaging portion 19 can be set at different points along the length of the flanged channel 12. Where that shoe-engaging portion is moved rearwardly an appreciable distance along the length of that flanged channel, the lower end of the spring 46 will be set in the opening 44 or in the opening 42 as desired. Preferably, that lower end will be set in the opening which holds that spring closest to a vertical position.

The shoe-engaging portion 19 is shown in its forward-most position; and, when that portion is in that position, the rear end of the runner 32 will be in the position shown by solid lines in FIG. 1. When that shoeengaging portion is set in its rearmost position, the rear end of the runner 32 will be in the position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1. This is desirable because it means that the rear end of that runner will be confined and enclosed at all times, and hence can not injure anyone or anything.

When using the skates 10 off ice or snow, the user can rock from side to sidethe runners 32 and the springs 46 yielding to permit such rocking. Also, the user can rock back and forththe curved bottoms of the runners 32 facilitating such rocking. Further, the user can twist his body or legs-the curved bottoms of the runners 32 facilitating such twisting. Moreover, the user can bounce straight up and down, can bounce so he moves forwardly or rearwardly, and can bounce so he moves to his left or right. As a result, the user can perform many healthful and entertaining movements.

Referring to FIG. 6 in detail, the numeral 60 denotes a shoe-engaging portion that can be secured to a shoe 62 by screws or the like. That shoe-engaging portion has a bracket 64 adjacent the front end thereof, and it has two U-shaped brackets 66 and 68 adjacent the rear thereof. The closed ends of the brackets 66 and 68 are spaced apart to define a slot which is comparable to the slot between the closed ends of the brackets 28 and 30. A flexible and resilient runner 70 has the front end thereof secured to the bracket 64 and has the rear end thereof extending into the slot between the closed ends of the brackets 66 and 68. That runner has a transverse cross section which is comparable to that of the runner 32, and

that runner is arcuate in elevation. Preferably, that runner is a section of an arc of a circle.

The runner 70 has an opening therein comparable to the opening 44; and that opening accommodates the lower end of a compression spring 72. A fastener 74, such as a rivet, secures the upper end of the spring 72 to the shoe-engaging portion 60. The spring 72 will be compressed whenever it is interposed between the runner 70 and the shoe-engaging portion 60.

The principal differences between the skate of FIG. 6 and the skate of FIGS. 1-5 are that the runner 70 does not have a reentrant front end and that shoe-engaging portion 60 is fixedly secured to the shoe 62. If desired, the shoe-engaging portion of the skate of FIGS. 1-5 could be fixedly secured to the shoe; and, if desired, the shoeengaging portion 60 could be made so it was releasably securable to a shoe. Similarly, if desired, the runner 70 could be made with a reentrant front end and the runner 32 could be made without a reentrant front end. The reentrant front end provides added flexibility for skates intended to be used by young, lightweight children.

Where desired, heavy springs 46 and 72 can be used with skates intended for older and larger users, and lighter springs 46 and 72 could be used with skates intended for younger and smaller users. With such an arrangement, many of the parts of the skates could be standardized and yet the desired amount of bouncing and rocking could be provided for each age and weight group. Skates intended for very small and lightweight children can be made with out the springs 46 and 72.

If desired, bosses could be formed on the upper surface of the runner 32 at the points where the openings 40, 42 and 44 are provided. Those bosses could coact with a closed turn at the bottom of the spring 46 to'fix the position of that bottom of that spring. Similarly, a boss could be formed on the upper surface of the runner 70 to accommodate a closed turn at the bottom of the spring 72.

In the preferred embodiments of skates provided by the present invention, the runners 32 and 70 have had angular extents of about one hundred and fifteen degrees. However, those runners can have longer or shorter extents, as desired.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described two preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a resilient and flexible runner which has a reentrant leading portion,

(c) said reentrant leading portion of said runner being secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion,

((1) said runner being wide,

(c) said runner being arcuate and normally being part of the arc of a circle,

(f) a sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping, and

(g) a compression spring intermediate the central portion of said runner and the central portion of said shoe-engaging portion,

(h) said compression spring coacting with the restorative forces within said runner to enable the user of the skate to bound and rock,

(i) said runner being capable of being set at different positions relative to said compression spring,

(j) said runner having a plurality of openings therein,

(k) each of said openings being adapted to accommodate the lower end of said compression spring,

(1) whereby said compression spring can be held generally vertical although said runner is set at different positions relative to said compression spring.

2. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion, 7

(c) said runner being wide,

(d) said runner being arcuate and normally being part of the arc of a circle,

(e) a sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping, and

(f) a compression spring intermediate the central portion of said runner and the central portion of said shoe-engaging portion,

(g) said compression spring coacting with the restorative forces within said runner to enable the user of the skate to bound and rock,

(h) said runner being capable of being set at different positions relative to said compression spring,

(i) said runner having a plurality of openings therein,

(j) each of said openings being adapted to accommodate the lower end of said Compression spring,

(k) whereby said compression spring can be held gen erally vertical although said runner is set at different positions relative to said compression spring.

3. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion,

(,0) said runner being wide,

(d) said runner being arcuate,

(e) a sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping, and

(f) a compression spring intermediate the central portion of said'runner and the central portion of said shoe-engaging portion,

(g) said compression spring coacting with the restorative forces within said runner to enable the user of the skate to bound and rock,

(h) said runner having an opening therein to accomodate the lower end of said compression spring.

4. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion,

(0) an open-end sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping, and

(d) a compression spring intermediate the central portion of said runner and the central portion of said shoe-engaging portion,

(e) said compression spring coacting with the restorative forces within said runner to enable the user of the skate to bound and rock,

(f) said runner being wide,

(g) said runner being arcuate,

(h) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

5. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion,

(0) an open-end sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping, and

(d) a compression spring intermediate the central portion of said runner and the central portion of said shoe-engaging portion,

(e) said compression spring coacting with the restorative forces within said runner to enable the user of the skate to bound and rock,

(f) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is sub- I 6 stantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

6. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion, and

(c) an open-end sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping,

(d) said runner being wide,

(e) said runner being arcuate,

(f) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

7. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion, and

(c) an open-end sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping,

(d) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

8. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner which has the leading portion thereof secured to said shoe-attaching portion to normally prevent relative movement between that leading portion and that shoe-attaching portion,

(c) said runner being wide,

(d) said runner being arcuate,

(e) an open-end sliding connection between the rear portion of said runner and said shoe-engaging portion which will permit said runner to flex and bend without binding and cramping, and

(f) a compression spring intermediate the central portion of said runner and the central portion of said shoe-engaging portion,

(g) said compression spring coacting with the restorative forces within said runner to enable the user of the skate to bound and rock,

(h) said runner and said compression spring having interacting surfaces that normally prevent relative movement of said runner and the lower end of said compression spring,

(i) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

9. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner,

(c) a connection between the front part of said shoeattaching portion and the front part of said runner, and

(d) a second connection between the rear part of said shoe-attaching portion and the rear part of said runner,

(e) one of said connections being a sliding connection,

(f) said one connection enclosing and confining the connected part of said runner,

(g) said one connection being an open-end connection,

(h) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

10. A skate which comprises:

(a) :a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner,

(c) a connection between the front part of said shoeattaching portion and the front part of said runner, and

(d) a second connection between the rear part of said shoe-attaching portion and the rear part of said runner,

(e) one of said connections being a sliding connection,

(f) said one connection being an open-end connection,

(g) said runner being stiif enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

11. A skate which comprises:

(a) a shoe-attaching portion,

(b) a flexible and resilient runner,

(c) a connection between the front part of said shoeattaching portion and the front part of said runner, and

(d) a second connection between the rear part of said shoe-attaching portion and the rear part of said runner,

(e) one of said connections including an open-end slot which permits free movement of the attached part of said runner,

(f) said runner being stiff enough so the yielding thereof under the static load of the user thereof is substantially imperceptible and so it will not conform to uneven surfaces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 70,906 11/1867 Shearer 280-1 1.14 741,083 10/1903 Thomsen et al. 280-11.14 748,172 12/1903 Draper 2801 1.13

1,587,749 6/1926 Bierly 28011.37 1,613,538 1/1927 Schad 27270 X 2,475,092 7/ 1949 Harrell 367 .8 FOREIGN PATENTS 447,958 7/ 1927 Germany.

A. HARRY LEVY, Primary Examiner. 

11. A STAKE WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SHOE-ATTACHING PORTION, (B) A FLEXIBLE AND RESILIENT RUNNER, (C) A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FRONT PART OF SAID SHOEATTACHING PORTION AND THE FRONT PART OF SAID RUNNER, AND (D) A SECOND CONNECTION BETWEEN THE REAR PART OF SAID SHOE-ATTACHING PORTION AND THE REAR PART OF SAID RUNNER, (E) ONE OF SAID CONNECTIONS INCLUDING AN OPEN-END SLOT WHICH PERMITS FREE MOVEMENT OF THE ATTACHED PART OF SAID RUNNER, (F) SAID RUNNER BEING STIFF ENOUGH SO THE YIELDING THEREOF UNDER THE STATIC LOAD THE USER THEREOF IS SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERCEPTIBLE AND SO IT WILL NOT CONFORM TO UNEVEN SURFACES. 